Class of 2015

Inductees Honored in 2015

Chris Klug

Aspen, CO

Chris Klug started snowboarding in 1983 on a Burton Backhill and began competing in the mid-1980s. His first World Cup start was in 1990 at Garmisch, Germany. He has 152 World Cup starts, 10 podiums and 4 wins. During his years competing on the World Cup he had 36 top 10 results.

After a serious illness, Klug had a liver transplant in 2000. He had been on a waiting list for six years. He was back on the World Cup circuit four months after his surgery. Six months later he stood atop the podium in Italy, a year and a half after that he won the bronze medal and fulfilled a life-long dream.
At the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympic opening ceremonies, he was selected to be one of the honor guards to carry the U.S. flag that was found in the 9-11 attack. He also received the Olympic Committee’s 2002 Winter Olympic Spirit Award that is given to the athlete who best exemplifies the true meaning of Olympic competition.

He has also won 11 U.S. National Championships; the 1997 U.S. Open Championship; along with wins at the 1999 and 2000 Goodwill Games. He authored the book “To the Edge and Back” based on his experience in snowboarding and his organ transplant.

Bob Salerno

Ogden, UT

Growing up in the 70’s when freestyle skiing was born, Bob Salerno was a household name. Arriving on the Pro Freestyle Circuit in 1974, he won such a high percentage of competitions that is was chronicled in the movie “Winter Equinox.”

Among his accomplishment he earned international acclaim as; World Super Hotdog Champion; Aerial World Champion; Professional Freestyle Champion; and two-time Mogul Enduro World Champion. Ski magazine featured Salerno as Hotdogger of the Year, and as a Legend of Freestyle. He was inducted in Utah’s Ski Hall of Fame in 2001.

His history is of freestyle greatness and pioneering spirit. From that point to today, Salerno has served as coach, mentor and trainer bringing thousands of people to the sport of skiing and snowboarding. Iconic national ads featured him including Bogner, McDonalds and Right Guard.

In 1978, inverted jumps were banned in the United States. Salerno responded with the development of a water ramp and an on-snow jump, pushing aerials beyond its limits and resulting in the first triple twisting triples at Nordic Valley, Utah.

As founder of Virtual Snow Ski & Snowboard Training in Los Angeles, he spent years writing, filming and developing a video system for training on simulators. Virtual Snow now has locations nation-wide (and Canada) including Mountain High California Snowsports School. He has well over 10,000 hours teaching all ages on his system and on the snow.

David Ingemie

Fitchberg, MA

David Ingemie has had a distinguished career in winter sports. A lifelong, passionate, snowsports enthusiast, Ingemie has played a central role in promoting winter sports nationally and internationally for nearly 50 years.

He started in the business as marketing director at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, Massachusetts in 1969. In that capacity he helped introduce thousands of new participants to the sport. He went on to become the executive director of the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce in North Conway, New Hampshire, continuing to promote wither sports and recreation. He served as the chairman of the New Hampshire Ski Areas Operators Promotional Committee and was named as “Outstanding Young Man of America” in 1979 by the Jaycee.

While these accomplishments are impressive, Ignemie is being nominated for his numerous contributions to winter sports as president of the Snowsports Industries America (SIA). He joined SIA as marketing director in 1976 and was promoted to president in 1981.

Ingemie’s boundless energy, combined with his keen intellect and ability to work with people, has built a healthy, sustainable, national snowsports trade association. He has been the “glue” that has held winter sports manufacturers, resorts, retailers and sales reps together for nearly 40 years. Throughout all the change, Ingemie has been the consistent voice, open to new ideas, embracing “radical ideas” like snowboarding when it was still considered a fringe activity.

With his leadership and vision, SIA has provided manufacturers with the best market information available and an annual trade show to efficiently introduce new products to the industry. His life work has been about growing snowsports and helping people have more fun on the snow.

Edgar Stern*

Park City, UT

Edgar Stern was quiet and humble. But behind the scenes, his extraordinary vision and focus on customer care transformed the ski industry and set a heightened standard of service for the future. An accomplished hotelier, Stern pioneered an entirely new approach to serving skiers as guests, establishing benchmarks in the 1980s that are norms for America’s leading resorts today.

With a background in media business and hotel development in New Orleans, Stern found his way to Aspen in 1968, elevating the stature of the resort through the development of Starwood. In 1970, his vision turned to Utah where he acquired 7,000 acres that included the Treasure Mountain Resort (now Park City Mountain Resort). During that time, he invested in the resort and watched it grow. He was responsible in 1974 in partnering with ski coach Willy Schaeffler in bring the U.S. Ski Team to Park City to establish its training base, which still remains today. A few years later, he sold the resort to Nick Badami and turned his attention to his dream, Deer Valley Resort, which opened in 1981.

With the opening of Deer Valley, Stern introduced a new level of customer service from valet ski service, to parking lot shuttles, to immaculately groomed and un-crowded ski slopes and the finest on-mountain cuisine. The tradition of excellence Stern had learned in the hotel and hospitality business took Deer Valley to the top in skier surveys.

Before long, Deer Valley Resort was ranked by skiers as the number one resort in North America. In the past it has remained the perennial top resort in the highly-regarded Ski Magazine survey.

In its first year of operation the resort featured five lifts, 35 ski runs on two mountains, two magnificent day lodges and 200 employees. Thirty-three years later, Deer Valley Resort boasts 21 lifts serving 100 runs and six bowls on six mountains, three day lodges and over 2,600 employees.

In 2002, Deer Valley Resort played a pivotal role in the Olympic Winter Games, playing host to alpine slalom and freestyle events. The resort has gone on to become the flagship stop on the annual FIS Freestyle World Cup tour and was selected to hold the World Championships in 2003 and 2011.

Today, the U.S. ski industry sets the standard for service to guests with Stern’s Deer Valley Resort still ranking among the finest. He passed away in 2008. Sport and hospitality leaders uniformly remember the role Edgar Stern played in establishing a vision and using his pioneering spirit to change the face of the ski resort experience.

* Deceased

Genia Fuller

Simi Valley, CA

Considered one of the Legends of Freestyle Skiing with eight years of competition, Genia Fuller was an ambassador to the early years of “Hot Dog” freestyle skiing due to her smile, laugh and genuine love for the sport.

Named Skiing magazine’s Skier of the Year three time between 1973-’78, Fuller’s career earned her numerous National and Grand Prix freestyle championships and titles. Her first title was earned in 1973 with her winning the Women’s National Freestyle Championship at Sun Valley, Idaho. That same year she skied for Willy Bogner in the ski film “W.” In 1975, she won the overall Women’s Grand Prix freestyle title along with the aerial title.

At the height of her career in 1976 she signed new contracts with Colgate, ABC television which earned recognition for freestyle skiing through media exposure that no one could have predicted by competing in television programs such as: “Women’s Superstars”, “Battle of the Sexes” and an ABC special “The Lady is a Champ.”

Unfortunately, due to illness she was sidelined halfway through the 1976 season, however still earning enough points to finish fifth overall that season. Fuller came back gingerly in the 1977, only competing in three competitions, but it was enough to move her overall ranking to fourth.

In 1978 she was again on her form, winning the overall World Freestyle Championship title along with three out of five individual titles.

Fuller became an innovator in pole-free ballet, touring Europe and Japan, sharing skills and knowledge with many up-coming young freestyler skiers. She performed in over 500 days of dry-land ski shows.

Harry Kaiser

Captiva Island, FL

Henry Kaiser remained a forerunner in the ski industry for over 35 years, as publisher and president of the Skiing Company. During which time Skiing magazine had many changes in ownership including Ziff Davis, CBS, Peter Diamendies and the Time Mirror. He was successful as publisher to protect the culture of the magazine and bring over the editorial and advertising staffs during each buy out.

Kaiser advanced the freestyle movement in the early days by acquiring the financial commitment and sponsorships from Chevrolet, Midas and others to allow for the growth of the sport. He was instrumental in securing Subaru as a sponsor to the U.S. Ski Team in the early days, which has contributed to the growth and success of the teams today. Kaiser and his wife, Carolyn, helped raise over a million dollars for the U.S. Ski Team during their reign as Chairmen of the New York Committee for the New York Ski Ball.

He has worked closely with the Ski Industries of America and the Vegas Ski Show. He and his wife hosted annual luncheons at the Hilton Hotel for principals of the industry. These luncheons provided the opportunity for these leaders to meet and discuss the future of the sport.

The Kaiser family has been referred to as the “First Family of Skiing” throughout his tenure as publisher and president of Skiing magazine.

Jim Martinson

Pallyup, WA

Growing up on the slopes of Crystal Mountain, Washington, Jim Martinson dreamed of being a ski racer but his dreams were halted in 1967 when he lost his legs from a land mine explosion in Vietnam. Not one to be daunted, he turned his passions to wheelchair sports in the mid-1970s, first taking up wheelchair racing then designing and producing race models.

Losing the ability to ski was agony for Martinson. He tried skiing with adaptive equipment but was frustrated by assistance required from his friends. His frustration provided the inspiration for a mono-ski for the disabled.

As Martinson describes, “I wanted to make a sit-ski that really worked, with a shock to replace the natural shock from a person’s knees. I also wanted to be able to get on the lifts by myself.”

After trial and error, he developed the “Shadow” in 1985 and skiing for the disabled was forever changed. Soon he returned to ski racing in his custom ski, winning many races including several National Championships and a gold medal at the 1992 Winter Paralympics in Albertville, France. As recently as 2009, at age 63, Martinson became the oldest athlete in the history of the Winter X Games competing in the mono-ski cross.

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